by Rumman Turjo, bdnews24.com

Delays in textbook distribution, adverse weather, and political instability have already taken a toll on students’ education -- but when schools double as public exam centres, the disruption runs deeper and stretches even longer.

Though this has become a widespread problem across thousands of institutions in Bangladesh, no meaningful steps have been taken to address it.

This April, 3,706 centres hosted the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exams, while the ongoing Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exams are being held at 2,797 centres nationwide.

When these public exams take place in certain institutions, other schools without exam centres continue teaching, creating a stark divide among students.

Those in exam-centre schools increasingly rely on private coaching.

Ridima Tabassum Sarika, a seventh-grade student at Ideal School and College in Dhaka, experienced shortened classes during exam days.

Her mother, Salma Akter, told bdnews24.com: “My daughter's school is hosting the exams. So, on exam days, their classes were held in a shortened format, while on other days, classes were regular.

“But in schools where no exam seating was scheduled, full classes continued.”

She explained that the distribution of books had already been delayed this year, causing most children to fall behind.

In such circumstances, students attending schools that operate only partially during exams are falling further behind those attending full-time classes.

In contrast, Siddheswari Girls’ High School was not an SSC exam centre, so full classes continued uninterrupted during the exams.

Both students, identified only as Roza and Ainun, from sixth and seventh grade respectively, have been attending full classes regularly.

Their mother, Tahmina Akter Riju, said although classes proceeded without disruption, a three-month delay in textbook delivery has left the students struggling to complete the syllabus.

She added that timely arrival of the books would have eased their academic pressure significantly.

Conversations with education officials reveal that the academic calendar for this year mandates 185 teaching days for secondary schools and 190 for higher secondary colleges.

Yet, students in institutions designated as SSC and HSC exam centres face a considerable reduction in classroom time.

At the outset of the year, delays in textbook distribution exacerbated the learning gap. This was followed by prolonged breaks, including holidays for two major Eid festivals, affecting all schools and colleges alike.

Amidst this turbulence, a significant number of students sat their half-yearly exams from Jun 24 with limited preparation.

Students in the eleventh grade began their annual exams on Jun 26, coinciding with the start of the HSC and equivalent exams, which will run until Aug 10.

Colleges serving as HSC exam centres will see classes disrupted from mid-July to mid-August after the annual exams.

The Directorate of Inspection and Audit (DIA) under the education ministry has recommended establishing separate, dedicated exam centres to ensure uninterrupted classes for all students throughout the academic year.

Ziaul Haque Dulu, president of the Parents’ Unity Forum, said: “The government could instruct schools to hold make-up classes on weekly holidays after the exams.

“This way, students won’t suffer much.”

NOT ALL SCHOOLS FOLLOW EXAM BREAK CLASS RULES

Bangladesh has over 29,500 secondary education institutions, including 684 government schools, more than 17,500 MPO-registered schools, over 9,000 madrasas, and 2,222 technical institutes.

In the SSC and equivalent exams held in April, there were 3,706 centres, each overseeing three to five schools.

SM Kamal Uddin Haider, convenor of the Inter-Education Board Examination Controllers’ Committee and controller of education at the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka, said there is no data on which schools served as exam centres and which did not.

He added, "The exam committee decides the venue centres."

When asked how students at institutions serving as HSC exam centres will make up lost class time, Khandakar Ahsanul Kabir, chairman of the Inter-Education Board Coordination Committee, said: “Classes must be suspended in centre colleges on exam days; however, on non-exam days, regular classes can continue.”

He added that SSC exam centres had been instructed to hold classes on days without exams.

“SSC exams span 15 working days. Centres have been directed to conduct classes on non-exam days in between,” Ahsanul said. “Schools have followed this guidance.”

Not all schools used as centres, however, managed to hold classes during exam breaks.

At Dhanmondi Kamrunnesa Government Girls’ High School centre, classes remained fully suspended throughout the exam period.

Assistant teacher Masuma Khanam said, “Our school is an exam centre; how could classes continue?”

At Manda SC Model Pilot High School in Naogaon, classes were paused on exam days but continued otherwise.

Acting headteacher Mostafa Md Nuruzzaman said, “We held classes on non-exam days. Initially, we planned to hold classes after 2pm on exam days, but students found it difficult to attend at that time.

“So, we adjusted and held classes only on days without SSC exams.”

At Ideal School and College in Motijheel, half classes were held on SSC exam days, while full classes ran on other days.

Siddheswari Girls’ High School was not an SSC exam centre, so classes continued in full throughout the exam period.

SEPARATE EXAM CENTRES

To ensure uninterrupted classes for all students across the academic year, the DIA has recently recommended the establishment of dedicated exam centres.

Md Saiful Islam, director of the agency, told bdnews24.com: “Our inspectors have repeatedly observed that where exams are held, classes do not run properly. In some institutions, exams take place while others continue regular classes. This inconsistency disrupts student attendance.”

“That’s why we’ve proposed setting up independent exam venues,” he said, noting that while implementation depends on government policy, the move would require substantial investment.

He added that the agency initially recommended setting up separate exam centres in the Sadar Upazilas of each district, with the possibility of expanding to all Upazilas in phases.

According to the proposal, each centre should be able to accommodate up to 3,000 examinees.

“These venues could be used for SSC, HSC, and National University exams, along with BCS and other nationwide recruitment tests.

“This would prevent class disruptions,” Saiful said.

The recommendation suggests building the centres on unused plots owned by educational institutions or other government-owned land.

Meanwhile, the National University has also moved to establish dedicated exam centres in all 64 districts.

The decision was approved during its 268th syndicate meeting on Apr 24.

The university said, once established, these centres would not only host its own exams, but could also serve national-level SSC and HSC exams as well as public and private recruitment tests, including those conducted by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

“Classes remain suspended for extended periods during exams, disrupting learning. Separate centres would help reduce session backlogs,” the university said, adding that the initiative would receive full support from the Ministry of Education.

WILL THE PLAN BE IMPLEMENTED?

The Education Engineering Department (EED), which handles infrastructure development for educational institutions across Bangladesh, has weighed in on the feasibility of the proposal.

EED’s Chief Engineer Altaf Hossain said, “To build a centre capable of accommodating 3,000 examinees at once, the estimated cost -- excluding land -- is Tk 50 million.”

Based on this estimate, building separate exam centres in 495 Upazilas would cost around Tk 39.6 billion.

Officials declined to comment on whether the education ministry will implement this proposal.

They said only the education advisor could speak on such a high-cost initiative.

Attempts to reach Education Advisor Chowdhury Rafiqul Abrar were unsuccessful.

[Writing in English by Sheikh Fariha Bristy]